News
by MariaClaire
Summary: Sally tells Percy that she and Paul have some news to share with him. How will he react when he hears it? This story takes place in the fall, post-Blood of Olympus.


*********Disclaimer as always: I am not Rick Riordan, I'm just borrowing the characters because they're so much fun.*****

* * *

SALLY:

Around mid-September, as Percy was sitting at the kitchen table frantically studying for a pre-calculus test in between bites of blue pancakes, his mom asked him a question. Completely absorbed in his notes and his food, he didn't respond immediately.

Sally repeated her question. "Honey, I asked if you were doing anything tonight?"

"Huh?" Percy looked up, a bite of pancake halfway to his mouth, his eyes unfocused; she could practically see the equations and integrals swirling forefront in his mind.

Giving a small laugh, she shook her head. "I'm glad to see you were serious about buckling down for school."

"Yeah, something like that." Percy tapped his fork on the table as he swallowed the bite of pancake, scanning his notes. "Although I think going another round with a giant might be easier than trying to pass all my classes right now."

"You're going to do fine." His mom dropped a kiss on the top of his head. "Now, back to my original question. Are you busy tonight?"

"Nope. Well, more homework, obviously…"

"No plans with Annabeth?"

"Nah, she's got some group project to work on after school." Percy tilted his head. "Why?"

Sally combed her fingers absently through her son's hair, then smoothed it back down. "I thought maybe we could order pizza tonight, have a family dinner. There's something Paul and I would like to talk to you about."

Percy frowned. "Am I in trouble?"

"Oh no, of course not." Sally smiled. "Actually, I'm very impressed with how hard you've been working so far. No, we just wanted to talk to you about a couple things."

"Okay," Percy said slowly. He studied his mom's face. "You guys aren't getting a divorce, right?"

Sally burst out laughing; she couldn't help it. "Oh, honey, no. Nothing like that. It's nothing bad. I'd tell you more, but we said we'd talk to you together, over dinner. Okay?"

Percy still looked a little confused, but then he shrugged. "Sounds good. I guess everything's better with pizza."

"Exactly." Sally kissed the top of his head again. Even after a month and a half, she still couldn't quite get over the fact that he was home again, after being gone for so long. "Now you'd better hurry up and finish breakfast. You need to be on the train in ten minutes."

Percy's head jerked up to look at the clock on the stove. "Oh schist."

"Perseus!"

"It's a type of stone, Mom."

"It's a little close to something else."

He grinned sheepishly as he took a massive final bite of pancake and shut his math notes. "Sorry." When he kissed her cheek, his lips were sticky from the syrup. "I'll see you tonight. Love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Percy. Good luck on your test. I'll see you tonight."

With a final wave, Percy disappeared out the door. Sally took a deep breath, not really sure why she felt nervous. "He'll be thrilled," she told herself. Resting her hand on her stomach, as if reassuring it, she added, "I don't know why I'm worried. Your big brother is going to love you."

She didn't doubt that for a minute. It was just the timing that was tricky. She didn't want Percy to feel like they'd been trying to replace him while he was gone. It hadn't been like that at all. Actually, this baby had been a complete, but very pleasant, surprise. Paul had almost fallen over in shock when she'd told him, then grabbed her and swung her around. It probably helped both of them that she'd found out the week after Percy finally came home. They could celebrate this baby without the pain of missing the child who hadn't yet come home.

Still, she couldn't be one hundred percent sure how her son would react, especially given what he'd experienced this summer and the current stress of school. That was why they'd decided to tell him at a quiet family dinner. The pizza had been her idea; Percy was always more amiable when he was well supplied with junk food.

Sally took another deep breath, then checked the time again. She needed to be out the door in five minutes if she was going to make it to work on time, and she still needed to finish doing her hair and make-up. "Oh schist."

* * *

PERCY:

By the time Percy got home that night, he had a pounding headache in his left temple. The pre-calc test hadn't gone too badly, but then his senior physics teacher sprang a pop quiz on them that he had been in no way prepared for, and Annabeth wasn't even in that class to help him (not that they cheated, really; she just gave him the occasional nudge in the right direction). Already, just a couple weeks into the school year, trying to catch up on the schoolwork he'd missed last year and at the same time try to graduate early, by the end of this year, was taking its toll. He'd never been this overloaded with work. _But it'll be worth it_, he kept reminding himself. _Hopefully._

At least it was Friday. He'd stayed late for some chemistry tutoring, but now he had the whole weekend ahead to catch up on homework. Or, more likely, all of Saturday to goof around, play video games, maybe hang out with his girlfriend if _she _wasn't catching up on homework, and then all of Sunday to get a headache doing homework. Actually, he would have liked to hang out with Annabeth tonight, but she was working on a group project for her AP Literature class. He assumed the entire class must be nerds; who else would work on school stuff on a Friday night? Before he got on the train back uptown, he tossed his pre-calc test notes in the trash.

On the subway, his mind feeling cleared from school for at least the next twenty-four hours, he had time to think again about what his mom wanted to talk to him about. She'd been acting weird this morning; he didn't think he'd just imagined it. Although he _had _been pretty pre-occupied with his test notes, so maybe he was misremembering things. That was totally possible.

And then a dracaena climbed onto the train, totally distracting him from any other thoughts. He dispatched her easily enough. Heck, for all Percy cared, they could have just ridden the subway and gotten off at their respective stops. But when the dracaena hissed and charged at him with a spear, she didn't give him much choice.

At any rate, it was the icing on the cake of this day. Percy was relieved to get home with no other trouble, especially when he could smell the pizza as soon as he walked in. Dropping his backpack and shoes by the door, he followed the smell to the kitchen, where his mom was just setting the table.

"Hi, honey." She smiled, but there was a touch of apprehension in it that made Percy think he hadn't been imagining her weird behavior this morning. "How was your day?"

"Long." While his mom laid the napkins and silverware out, Percy went to the cabinet for glasses, then moved to the fridge for ice. He started to go to the sink to fill the glasses with water when he spotted the two-liter of Coke on the counter. "Alright, Coke!"

"Goes well with pizza," his mom said.

"Definitely." Percy poured three glasses. "Paul home yet?"

"On his way. How was your pre-calculus test?"

Percy shrugged as he carried the glasses over to the table, which was a slightly risky move. "Went okay, I guess. But then my senior physics teacher springs a pop quiz on us. On a Friday! I almost thought maybe he's a monster in disguise. But I think he's just kind of a jerk."

His mom shook her head, but didn't comment. "And tutoring went well?"

"Yeah. Mr. Ramirez is cool. He thinks I'll be caught up by Thanksgiving, so I should be able to get those science credits I missed last year." Percy sank into his seat, eyeing the pizza boxes stacked in the middle of the table. "Then if Paul can help me with English and Chiron can convince them to accept some of my 'elective' credits, I should be all set to graduate in the spring."

"That's wonderful, honey," his mom said, and she looked like she meant it, too, though her lip trembled. "Although I'll be sad to lose you to college a year early."

"I know," Percy said. "But with everything that's happened, first the war with Kronos, then Gaea, and monsters hanging around New York—I mean, I had a run-in with a dracaena on the subway on the way home today—Annabeth and I both think it's the best option." He traced his finger around the edge of the plate. "I mean, I love you guys, and I love New York, but I don't know if we can survive two more years in the city. I want to be in New Rome, where I don't have to worry about monster attacks every five minutes." He hoped he didn't sound petulant (SAT prep word), but he was tired. Today, he was tired.

His mom surprised him by hugging him, hard. "Oh, honey. I want that for you, too. I really, really do. You deserve that. You and Annabeth both do."

Percy swallowed back the lump in his throat. "Thanks, Mom."

She squeezed him again and kissed the top of his head. Then, with a quick swipe over her eyes, she turned to the counter and finished tossing the salad.

"So," Percy said, trying to change the subject, "what was it you guys wanted to talk to me about tonight?"

His mom shot him a smile over her shoulder. "You'll have to wait until Paul gets here."

Percy groaned dramatically. "Aw come on, Mom. Can't I get a clue?"

She tilted her head to the side, carrying the salad bowl to the table and setting it beside the pizza boxes. "Okay. It involves next spring."

Percy made a face. "That could be literally almost anything."

"It could." His mother's knowing, closed lip smile was infuriating.

"Are we moving?"

"No."

"Vacation?"

"No, not then."

"New—wait, are we going on vacation another time?"

"Maybe, honey. I was thinking about a trip up to Montauk in a few weeks."

"Really? Sweet!" Percy hesitated, then asked, "Can I invite Annabeth?"

"Probably." The front door opened and closed and his mom smiled broadly. "Oh good, Paul's home."

"Hey, guys." Paul dropped his gradebook and a stack of essays on the unoccupied chair at the end of the table. He kissed his wife on the cheek and returned Percy's wave, but Percy noticed he looked tense. It reminded him almost of his fifteenth birthday, when Paul told him he wanted to marry his mom. "Dinner looks great, Sally."

"Thank you, dear. Are you ready to eat?" She met his eyes and they had some sort of silent conversation. Percy was becoming increasingly suspicious and a bit nervous himself.

"Absolutely, I'm starving. Just let me wash up." He kissed her cheek again, then headed down the hall to the bathroom.

Percy's mom sat down in her own chair and began dishing up the salad, without meeting Percy's eyes. "Salad, honey?"

They got through half the salad and Percy was inhaling his third slice of pizza by the time his mom and Paul finished catching up on the day and he'd rehashed his own day for Paul, who seemed more than happy to help him with his English classes. They finished the pizza talking about the edits his mom was making to her book, which was coming out in the spring.

"Is that what's happening in the spring?" Percy asked. "But I already knew about that."

"No, this is about—a different project I'm working on," his mom said.

"A new book?"

"Not exactly," his mom said. And then, rather hurriedly, Percy thought, Paul asked her another question about character development.

Percy thought he was pretty patient, especially for an ADHD demigod, but when his mom brought out the dessert, homemade chocolate brownies with blue frosting, he couldn't wait any longer. "Oh gods, does somebody have cancer? Are you dying?"

His mom and Paul both burst out laughing, which Percy thought was a bit rude, although he figured it also meant no one was dying. While they were still laughing, he cut himself a brownie. It was delicious. He cut a second one. Then, while his parents were wiping their eyes, he put brownies on their plates, too.

"Thank you, Percy," Paul said, chuckling. "Sally, do you think we've waited long enough?"

"Oh, probably." Smile lines crinkled the corners of his mom's eyes as she reached over and put her hand on top of Percy's. "Honey, nobody is dying."

"Kind of the opposite, actually." Paul took a bite of his brownie.

His mom took a deep breath. "Percy…I'm having a baby."

Percy blinked. Her words didn't quite compute. "What?"

"I'm going to have a baby, honey. Due in the spring." His mom's smile held a hint of nervousness. "You're going to have a little brother or sister."

Whatever he'd expected their news to be, this had never even crossed his mind. Percy felt like he'd been smacked between the eyes. But then the meaning of his mom's words started to sink in. "Seriously?"

She nodded, studying his face. Paul had put down his fork and was watching Percy closely.

A baby. His mom was having a baby. He was going to have an actual mortal sibling. A grin broke across his face. "That's awesome! Mom, Paul, congratulations."

His parents gave simultaneous sighs of relief. Paul speared a giant bite of brownie, raised it and said, "Cheers, Percy," before stuffing it in his mouth. His mom squeezed his hand, her relief almost palpable. "So you're happy?"

"Of course! I'm going to be a big brother! I mean, there's Tyson, obviously, but like, on the mortal side. I never thought that would be a thing." He glanced at his parents, who were now exchanging relieved looks. "Why? How—how did you think I'd react?"

"Honestly, we weren't sure," his mom admitted.

"It's a big change," Paul added.

"And you've been an only child for a long time." His mom squeezed his hand again, smiling. "I thought you'd be happy, though."

"Yeah, definitely." Percy still felt a little dazed, but he smiled. "This is great, Mom."

* * *

ANNABETH:

She was going to kill one of them. Or maybe both. As she walked back to her dorm, her backpack feeling like a thousand pound weight after the long day, Annabeth clenched her fists. She hated group work. She always ended up being one of the people who did all the work, to make sure she got a good grade, and then there were always the slackers. She, Wendy, and Caleb, from her AP Lit class, were all committed to the Shakespeare project, but Blake and Samantha were committed to flirting with each other. And not committed to showing up on time or sometimes at all, like tonight. Annabeth suspected they'd gone on a date and left the other three to finish the project on their own. And they would get the same grade as she, Caleb, and Wendy. It was so irritating.

_As if the rest of us wouldn't have preferred to be on a date tonight, too_, she thought bitterly. She's barely seen Percy all week, since they'd been so busy with school stuff. _The payoff will be worth it, the payoff will be worth it_, she kept reminding herself, but tonight, honestly, she would have preferred to be a slacker, like her two fellow group members.

She was so distracted by annoyed thoughts that she didn't even notice the shadowy figure sitting on her dorm steps. If it had been a monster, she might have been in trouble. As it was, she still jumped, before realizing that the shadowy figure sitting on the steps was her boyfriend.

"Percy? What are you doing here?" A shiver of fear went through her. "What's happened?"

"Nothing," he said hurriedly, standing up and shoving his hands in his pockets. He pecked her on the cheek. "How's your group project?"

"Two people didn't show up, so the rest of us got a lot done, but don't change the subject." She fixed him with a look. "Percy, it's almost eleven on a Friday when I was pretty sure I wasn't going to see you. What's going on?"

He glanced at her dorm over his shoulder. "Take a walk with me?"

"Sure." She hesitated, but her shoulders really were hurting. "Just let me drop my backpack off."

The curfew in her dorm was midnight on Friday and Saturday, so no one gave Annabeth a hard time when she ducked up to her room, dropped her backpack, and rushed back down the stairs. Her heart was pounding, though she wasn't sure why. But Percy looked obviously shook up about something, and that concerned her.

"Alright, Seaweed Brain," she said when she met him again on the steps and they headed down the sidewalk. "Spill."

Percy took a deep breath. "So, my mom's having a baby."

Annabeth froze on the sidewalk. "Oh my gods. Really?"

"Yeah." Percy's hands were still shoved in his pockets, but he smiled. "Yeah, they just told me tonight at dinner."

Annabeth was floored. This seemed totally unexpected, yet it also made perfect sense. Sally was the best mom she knew, she should absolutely have more kids. They continued walking as she said, "That's great! When will the baby be here?"

"Spring, apparently. Like March."

"Oh my gods," Annabeth said again. She studied Percy, who didn't seem thrilled. "Aren't you happy?"

"Yes!" He burst out, stopping abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk. "Why would I be anything else?"

"Okay." Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "That's not convincing."

"Sorry." Percy rubbed his hands over his face, then heaved a sigh. "It's just, my mom asked me the same thing. And she and Paul were super nervous to tell me. And I don't know why! _Of course _I'm happy that they're having a baby. It's great! Why _wouldn't _I be happy?"

His expression was equally disgruntled and confused. And there was more than a little hurt there, too. Annabeth took his hand. He gulped, gripping her fingers as he said in a low voice, "They were watching me with these worried expressions when they gave me the news, like they were scared to tell me, or scared of how I was going to react. And for some reason it made me think of what happened with Akhlys. When I realized you were afraid of me. I don't—I _never _want the people I love to be afraid of me."

"Oh Percy." Annabeth reached out and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, his hands clutching her jacket. She rubbed his back. The hug was as much for her as it was for him. He'd apologized on the _Argo II _for scaring her during the Akhlys incident, but other than that, they hadn't discussed it. And she hadn't mentioned to him that she still had nightmares about what had happened. To be fair, they weren't the only nightmares she had about Tartarus, but they were the worst ones. Now, she wondered if Percy had similar nightmares.

"Hey," she said, pulling back so she could look at him, even though he wouldn't meet her eyes. "The people who love you aren't afraid of you. Not really. We all know how good and kind and helpful and sweet you are." He tentatively raised his eyes and she gave him a small smile. "But you've never appreciated just how powerful you are, Percy. And yeah, once in a while, that can be scary." Her mind flashed to a drawing she'd seen at Rachel's, of Percy standing beneath Antaeus, a fierce, frightening expression on his face. She'd seen that face, many times, in battle. Demigods _had _to be fierce. Their lives often depended on it. She told him that now. "Even with all that, though, Percy, you have a good heart at your core. And that's never changed. I'm not afraid of you," she added, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Your mom and Paul aren't afraid of you, either."

"Then why—"

"Because a new baby is a major change, Seaweed Brain!" She smacked his chest lightly. "You've been an only child for a long time."

"Yeah, that's what my mom said, too." He grinned ruefully.

"Exactly. Also," Annabeth hesitated, then said, "you were gone for almost _eight months_, Percy. If I had to guess, your mom and Paul might have been worried you would think they were trying to, you know, replace you or something."

"What?" Percy looked completely baffled. It was kind of adorable. "That's crazy!"

Annabeth shrugged. "Maybe, but it happens. You know, a parent gets remarried, has other kids, makes their original kid feel like they've been replaced with a _normal _family." Now it was her turn to look away.

"Huh." Percy gently kissed her forehead. "Sorry, sweetheart."

"It's okay." Her heart fluttered, the way it always did whenever he called her something like _babe _or _sweetheart_, which he very, very rarely did, which was probably why her heart reacted that way. Honestly, she never thought she'd like it, especially _sweetheart_, but it was the warm way he said it… she took a deep breath, trying to focus. "I'm just saying, I don't think your mom and Paul were afraid _of _you, I think they were just worried about your feelings. Because they love you."

Percy considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right. As usual." His still rueful smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Guess them being nervous around me just hit a nerve."

That moment on the cliffs of Chaos loomed between them like the chasm itself. Annabeth reached for his hand again, though it didn't totally bridge the gap. "Percy, yes, what happened with Akhlys scared me. Because you're _not _a vindictive, violent guy who enjoys hurting people. That's, like, the _opposite_ of who you are. I know you, remember?" She laced her fingers through his. His eyes were cast down again. Annabeth brushed the fingers of her free hand across his cheek, waiting for him to look at her. When he did, she said, "And just so we're clear, I've never been afraid you were going to hurt_ me_. Even at that moment."

Percy's eyes searched hers, uncertain. "Really?"

"Really." Then she told him something she hadn't before. "Actually, right after that, when we were running through the Mansion of Night and I almost fell in the Acheron, you pulled me back, remember?" When he nodded, she continued. "And I felt _so safe_ when you were holding me. Which was ridiculous, because we weren't even remotely safe. But I always feel that way with you." She said the last bit in a rush, because it felt a little weird to admit, but she thought maybe he needed to hear it.

"You feel safe with me?" Percy asked quietly.

"Yeah," she said simply. "I always have."

Percy swallowed hard, but didn't say anything. His eyes were still locked on hers. Then he slowly pulled her closer and kissed her. Annabeth melted against him. They'd barely seen each other the past couple weeks and they'd spent most of their time together doing homework. She'd missed him. Missed having a non-school-related conversation. Missed kissing him (_really _kissing him, like this). A cool fall breeze swept down the street, and Annabeth pressed closer to Percy's warmth. She could feel his heartbeat beneath her fingertips.

Percy's thumb brushed her cheek. "I'm lucky to have you."

Annabeth shivered, but it had nothing to do with the breeze. "That works both ways."

"So, how about a night off from homework tomorrow?" Percy suggested. "And maybe we go on an actual date? We could check out that gallery you were telling me about."

Annabeth stared at him. A week ago she'd mentioned an exhibit showcasing the sketches and designs of several famous female architects, including Zaha Hadid, Marion Mahony Griffin, and Elizabeth Diller. She was stunned that he'd even remembered it. "You want to go to an art gallery?"

He shrugged. "I don't mind, as long as I'm with you. And if we can get cheeseburgers afterwards."

She kissed him again. "Deal. That sounds amazing."

"Cool." Percy smiled for real this time and Annabeth returned it.

"Okay, so now that you're fine, can we talk about the fact that your mom is having a baby?"

Percy's grin widened. "I know, how great is this? I'm going to be a big brother. I mean, you know, to an actual little mortal sibling."

"So exciting!" Annabeth squeezed his arm. "Do they know yet if it's a boy or a girl?"

Percy shook his head. "Too early still, according to my mom."

"Any preference?"

"Nah. I'll baby-sit either way."

"You do know baby-sitting means changing diapers, right?" she teased.

Percy wrinkled his nose. "Hadn't thought of that. But I'll still baby-sit anyway. Because I'm the big brother!" He spun Annabeth around in an impromptu dance move and she laughed. "You want to help me baby-sit some time?"

"Absolutely, Seaweed Brain." She kissed his cheek. "But diaper duty is all yours. Since, you know, you're the big brother."

* * *

PERCY:

His mom was still on the couch when Percy walked through the door a few minutes before midnight.

"Hi, honey. I just wanted to make sure you got home safe." Sally smiled, but Percy's stomach twisted, thinking about all the times she must have waited and he _hadn't _come home safely, at least not right away.

"Yeah, no monsters tonight, luckily." Percy forced a smile.

"How's Annabeth?"

"She's good. We just took a walk. She helped me kind of look at some stuff differently."

"Like what?"

Percy crossed his arms and leaned against the TV stand. "Like that you guys might have been worried about hurting my feelings and that's why you were nervous to tell me about the new baby. Like I might think I was being replaced or something. Which is crazy," he burst out. "I mean, it never even crossed my mind. Of course I'm excited to be a big brother!"

His mom patted the seat on the couch beside her. Percy hesitated, then moved across the room and dropped down beside his mom. "I'm really happy for you and Paul. This is awesome."

"Thank you, honey." His mom put an arm around him, and Percy relaxed, laying his head on her shoulder. She kissed the top of his head. "You're going to be a wonderful big brother. And I knew you'd be happy. But a new baby is a big change. And you've had a tough year."

"So you didn't want me to think I was being replaced or something?" Percy ventured.

"You, Perseus, are irreplaceable." His mom gave him a gentle squeeze. "But also, yes, something like that."

"Yeah, that's what Annabeth said."

His mom laughed softly. "She's a smart girl. You've been an only child for a long time, Percy. We figured you would be excited, but you never know how someone will take that news."

"I guess."

"For example, Paul almost fell over when I told him."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Sally smiled. "Especially since this baby was a very pleasant surprise. Which is something, by the way, that maybe you and I need to talk about to make sure you and Annabeth don't—"

"Mom!" Percy felt his face heat up and he abruptly scooted away from her. "That's not—we haven't—we're not—no. Just no."

His mom was laughing again. "I'm teasing. Besides, didn't we already have that discussion when you were fourteen?"

"Don't remind me," Percy muttered.

Sally's expression softened. She reached up and ran a hand through his hair, combing it with her fingers. "Oh, honey. It was just you and me for a long time. And now our family is bigger. And growing."

"Which is a good thing," Percy put in.

"It is. But it's different. A good different." Sally smiled. "But one thing will never change." She held out her arms and Percy scooted closer again so his mom could hug him. "You'll always be my first baby. And I love you so, so much."

A lump in his throat made it hard to speak, but Percy managed to say, "Love you, too, Mom."

Later, alone in his room, Percy thought again about what his mom had said. It _had_ been just the two of them, for most of his life (because Smelly Gabe _so_ did not count). He thought about their trip to Montauk when he was twelve, right before he found out he was a demigod, just him and his mom sitting around a campfire on the beach, eating blue candy. That had been a good night (well, until the Minotaur showed up, anyway). A few years later, after his mom and Paul got married, they'd all gone to Montauk for a few days, sort of a first trip as a new family. It had actually been really cool. The weather had been chilly and rainy, but they'd stayed inside eating snacks and watching some of his mom's favorite scary movies. Then last year, they'd gone for a long weekend up to Montauk and this time Annabeth came along too, so obviously Percy thought the trip was great. Maybe next year they could take a trip out there again, this time with the new baby, and Percy could introduce his little bro or sis to the ocean.

The idea of his family expanding was a nice thought. Different, but a good different. Percy smiled to himself before curling up and drifting peacefully to sleep.

* * *

*****Hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading!*****


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